December 1990 – Chapter 10 – The Holidays
Remus had found a small tree that would fit in the small living room. He set it up and smiled as his wife came down the stairs. She was leaned very far back with her large belly out before her. "Happy Christmas Remus."
"Happy Christmas to you as well." He smiled.
Remus often wondered if she was carrying twins, but he knew better for he had listened to her stomach. His sensitive half human hearing detected only one heart beating within her besides her own.
She came in wearing a nice velveteen shirt that sat just right over her distended belly. She wore maternity pants she had found in a Muggle store. She got tired very easily and moved to the nearest chair to sit.
He smiled as he started decorating. "I may need to get you a wide load sign." He teased.
He yelped as he felt a ball clap him up side the head. "Ouch."
She looked at him smugly and then winced.
He rushed to her side his eyes full of concern. "Darling."
"It is okay. Just twinges. I have been having them since midnight. The baby just is moving."
"He wants out." Remus said caressing her belly. She sighed contentedly.
He turned around and decorated more as she went to get herself a drink of water from the basin in the kitchen.
Remus heard a gasp, then a thump with a glass shattering with his hearing. He whirled and ran into the kitchen and found her in a fetal position lying on the floor. Her hand was bloody and glass was everywhere about it. She had crushed the glass in pain.
He could tell it was pain she was feeling by her moans and her eyes closed.
"Kadi? Khadja darling? Are you alright?"
She shook her head a little panting as the pain seemed to ease.
"I think the baby is coming." She moaned as she tried to sit up curled about her belly.
Remus gasped. He lifted his wand and called her suitcase to him and his broom. She growled at him and he decided to use floo powder. He took some and with her in his arms yelled "St. Mugos." He held her as the flames rushed around her and then they stepped out into the lobby of the witch hospital.
Remus was nervous as hell as he sensed her nerves. He walked up to a nurse. "Excuse me. Where is the maternity ward? My wife is..."
Khadja screamed and was doubled over.
"I see." She said calling a stretcher to her with her wand.
They lay Khadja on it after the contraction had eased. She moaned and Remus took her hand.
"Remus..." She moaned. He smiled down. "Easy darling." He whispered as she almost crushed his hand. He did not blame her. She was in so much pain and not used to it.
They were shown a room and the doctor came in with a flourish.
The nurses changed the girl into a gown and set her on a birthing bed.
"Hello. I am Dr. Pettigrew. Why hello Remus old boy." He grinned.
Remus smiled. The doctor on duty was his old friend's father.
"I did not know you were married."
"Yes. I am. This is Khadja." Remus said sitting beside his wife who was panting.
"Hello Khadja. My name is Reid." The doctor said. "Let's see how you are doing. How long have you been in pain."
"A few minutes." She said.
He looked under her gown and arched an eyebrow. "You are quite dilated dear. How long have you been feeling pain?"
"Well the twinges started in the night, but I thought they were nothing."
"You are nearly ready to push." Reid said. He looked at Remus whose nose was flared as he tried to watch Khadja's face. "First time father aren't you."
Remus nodded shyly. Remus held her hand and tried to relax her. He could not stand her in so much pain. She had been though so much.
"Good. Just relax. It will help her. She is about to give you the best Christmas present ever." Reid said softly. "Peter never told me you had married. Well before he was..."
"Well he was away and I did not get a chance to tell him." Remus lied.
"I see."
Another pain hit Khadja. She whined and arched against it.
Remus watched as the doctor knelt down and hissed. "What is it Dr. Pettigrew?"
"The baby is turned wrong." He said softly as he signaled a nurse to come help him.
An hour after cries of pain and blood the child she carried was born. Thankfully Khadja had passed out from blood loss and exhaustion and was resting now in a drugged sleep. The doctor had worked hard to stop the bleeding. Remus had been scared that he may lose her, but she pulled through. She would be weak for a while and not released for some days. The baby was healthy.
He studied the tiny infant in his arms as he sat near the window. A baby girl. A beautiful baby girl. So helpless and tender he had fallen in love with her. She was his child and he would see her taken care of.
The tiny thatch of hair told Remus its paternity far before anything else did. He could not have a child with jet black hair. None of his family had it. He could have guessed that the baby was Sirius's anyway, fathered in the desperate lovemaking in his cell when they had come to visit.
He looked at his wife pale against the sheets. His heart lurched to think he nearly had lost her. She had had will to live and so she lived on. Thank Merlin she was strong.
He took a deep breath when she opened her eyes. She was looking up at the carved seeing of the ward room she was in.
"Thank Merlin you have returned to us." He said softly. "You have been asleep for nearly a day."
She turned her head towards him and her eyes closed as she winced, her eyes sensitive to the sun. "Remus..." She asked. He gasped in surprised. For months she had called for Sirius and not him first.
He stepped closer the tiny baby in his arms tucked into the crook of his left arm. "I love you." He whispered bending down to kiss her mouth.
Her hands went down to her belly that was now nearly flat. She let out a panicked shriek. He pulled back and smiled. "She is here Kadi." He whispered pulling back the blankets to show the new mother her daughter.
"Oh she is pretty."
He nodded in agreement. "Very. What do you call her?"
"Holly." She smiled at him.
He kissed her again and touched her face with his free hand. She looked up at the love in his gaze. He was proud of her and so much in love with his little family.
A knock made them both jump.
A nurse came in and whisked into the place checking Khadja's vitals absently. She wrote them down and then turned to Remus. "Has she fed the babe yet?"
"She just woke up." Remus said knitting his eyebrows.
"Well she must nurse the baby before she gets hungry." The nurse chided. "Help her sit up. Sit behind her if she is too weak."
Remus gently laid the baby on a pillow between Khadja's knees. He then gently pulled Khadja to a sitting position. She winced and almost fell back, but he caught her and held her as he slid behind her. She lay back against him finding it comfortable.
"Now nurse her." The nurse said standing there.
Khadja looked at her. "And how does one do that?" She snapped.
"Kadi..."
"You have breasts girl. Just put her up and stroke her cheek with them and she will do the rest."
Remus turned to the woman. "I do not appreciate your attitude either."
"I will leave when the baby starts to suckle."
"No you will be leaving now before I tell of your behavior to your boss." Remus said. His look left no room for arguments.
She flung her hands in the air as Khadja leaned down and lifted the baby. She left in a huff and Khadja smiled a little.
She did as the grouchy nurse said and stroked the baby with her nipple. The tiny mouth opened and latched on. Khadja yelped and then felt relief as the baby drained the breast.
Remus held her looking at his tiny daughter. He was happy to be a father and have a family at last.
Remus had found a small tree that would fit in the small living room. He set it up and smiled as his wife came down the stairs. She was leaned very far back with her large belly out before her. "Happy Christmas Remus."
"Happy Christmas to you as well." He smiled.
Remus often wondered if she was carrying twins, but he knew better for he had listened to her stomach. His sensitive half human hearing detected only one heart beating within her besides her own.
She came in wearing a nice velveteen shirt that sat just right over her distended belly. She wore maternity pants she had found in a Muggle store. She got tired very easily and moved to the nearest chair to sit.
He smiled as he started decorating. "I may need to get you a wide load sign." He teased.
He yelped as he felt a ball clap him up side the head. "Ouch."
She looked at him smugly and then winced.
He rushed to her side his eyes full of concern. "Darling."
"It is okay. Just twinges. I have been having them since midnight. The baby just is moving."
"He wants out." Remus said caressing her belly. She sighed contentedly.
He turned around and decorated more as she went to get herself a drink of water from the basin in the kitchen.
Remus heard a gasp, then a thump with a glass shattering with his hearing. He whirled and ran into the kitchen and found her in a fetal position lying on the floor. Her hand was bloody and glass was everywhere about it. She had crushed the glass in pain.
He could tell it was pain she was feeling by her moans and her eyes closed.
"Kadi? Khadja darling? Are you alright?"
She shook her head a little panting as the pain seemed to ease.
"I think the baby is coming." She moaned as she tried to sit up curled about her belly.
Remus gasped. He lifted his wand and called her suitcase to him and his broom. She growled at him and he decided to use floo powder. He took some and with her in his arms yelled "St. Mugos." He held her as the flames rushed around her and then they stepped out into the lobby of the witch hospital.
Remus was nervous as hell as he sensed her nerves. He walked up to a nurse. "Excuse me. Where is the maternity ward? My wife is..."
Khadja screamed and was doubled over.
"I see." She said calling a stretcher to her with her wand.
They lay Khadja on it after the contraction had eased. She moaned and Remus took her hand.
"Remus..." She moaned. He smiled down. "Easy darling." He whispered as she almost crushed his hand. He did not blame her. She was in so much pain and not used to it.
They were shown a room and the doctor came in with a flourish.
The nurses changed the girl into a gown and set her on a birthing bed.
"Hello. I am Dr. Pettigrew. Why hello Remus old boy." He grinned.
Remus smiled. The doctor on duty was his old friend's father.
"I did not know you were married."
"Yes. I am. This is Khadja." Remus said sitting beside his wife who was panting.
"Hello Khadja. My name is Reid." The doctor said. "Let's see how you are doing. How long have you been in pain."
"A few minutes." She said.
He looked under her gown and arched an eyebrow. "You are quite dilated dear. How long have you been feeling pain?"
"Well the twinges started in the night, but I thought they were nothing."
"You are nearly ready to push." Reid said. He looked at Remus whose nose was flared as he tried to watch Khadja's face. "First time father aren't you."
Remus nodded shyly. Remus held her hand and tried to relax her. He could not stand her in so much pain. She had been though so much.
"Good. Just relax. It will help her. She is about to give you the best Christmas present ever." Reid said softly. "Peter never told me you had married. Well before he was..."
"Well he was away and I did not get a chance to tell him." Remus lied.
"I see."
Another pain hit Khadja. She whined and arched against it.
Remus watched as the doctor knelt down and hissed. "What is it Dr. Pettigrew?"
"The baby is turned wrong." He said softly as he signaled a nurse to come help him.
An hour after cries of pain and blood the child she carried was born. Thankfully Khadja had passed out from blood loss and exhaustion and was resting now in a drugged sleep. The doctor had worked hard to stop the bleeding. Remus had been scared that he may lose her, but she pulled through. She would be weak for a while and not released for some days. The baby was healthy.
He studied the tiny infant in his arms as he sat near the window. A baby girl. A beautiful baby girl. So helpless and tender he had fallen in love with her. She was his child and he would see her taken care of.
The tiny thatch of hair told Remus its paternity far before anything else did. He could not have a child with jet black hair. None of his family had it. He could have guessed that the baby was Sirius's anyway, fathered in the desperate lovemaking in his cell when they had come to visit.
He looked at his wife pale against the sheets. His heart lurched to think he nearly had lost her. She had had will to live and so she lived on. Thank Merlin she was strong.
He took a deep breath when she opened her eyes. She was looking up at the carved seeing of the ward room she was in.
"Thank Merlin you have returned to us." He said softly. "You have been asleep for nearly a day."
She turned her head towards him and her eyes closed as she winced, her eyes sensitive to the sun. "Remus..." She asked. He gasped in surprised. For months she had called for Sirius and not him first.
He stepped closer the tiny baby in his arms tucked into the crook of his left arm. "I love you." He whispered bending down to kiss her mouth.
Her hands went down to her belly that was now nearly flat. She let out a panicked shriek. He pulled back and smiled. "She is here Kadi." He whispered pulling back the blankets to show the new mother her daughter.
"Oh she is pretty."
He nodded in agreement. "Very. What do you call her?"
"Holly." She smiled at him.
He kissed her again and touched her face with his free hand. She looked up at the love in his gaze. He was proud of her and so much in love with his little family.
A knock made them both jump.
A nurse came in and whisked into the place checking Khadja's vitals absently. She wrote them down and then turned to Remus. "Has she fed the babe yet?"
"She just woke up." Remus said knitting his eyebrows.
"Well she must nurse the baby before she gets hungry." The nurse chided. "Help her sit up. Sit behind her if she is too weak."
Remus gently laid the baby on a pillow between Khadja's knees. He then gently pulled Khadja to a sitting position. She winced and almost fell back, but he caught her and held her as he slid behind her. She lay back against him finding it comfortable.
"Now nurse her." The nurse said standing there.
Khadja looked at her. "And how does one do that?" She snapped.
"Kadi..."
"You have breasts girl. Just put her up and stroke her cheek with them and she will do the rest."
Remus turned to the woman. "I do not appreciate your attitude either."
"I will leave when the baby starts to suckle."
"No you will be leaving now before I tell of your behavior to your boss." Remus said. His look left no room for arguments.
She flung her hands in the air as Khadja leaned down and lifted the baby. She left in a huff and Khadja smiled a little.
She did as the grouchy nurse said and stroked the baby with her nipple. The tiny mouth opened and latched on. Khadja yelped and then felt relief as the baby drained the breast.
Remus held her looking at his tiny daughter. He was happy to be a father and have a family at last.